The United States is committed to helping Taiwan defend itself and is serious about that commitment, a U.S. State Department official said Tuesday when asked about the impact of a potential frigate sale to Taiwan on relations with China.

Taiwan and Vietnam will set up a mechanism to help keep track of the progress of providing compensation for damage suffered by Taiwanese businesses during anti-Chinese riots in Vietnam earlier this year, an official of the Ministry of Economic Affairs said Friday.

Sao Tome and Principe's ties with Taiwan will remain strong, a Taiwanese foreign affairs official said Tuesday, after the African country's new prime minister, Patrice Trovoada, assumed his duties last week.

The United States will continue to improve its relations with Taiwan after Taiwan's local elections concluded Saturday, according to a scholar at the Washington -based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

No representatives from Taiwan's South Pacific allies have met with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) during his recent trip to the region, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official said yesterday.

China played up Taiwan's internal fears of falling far behind South Korea Wednesday when the Taiwan Affairs Office (國台辦) warned that Taiwanese businesses will not be able to match Korean rivals in the Chinese market unless cross-strait pacts move forward soon.